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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546206">Undeniably Connected</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikizuko/pseuds/Ikizuko'>Ikizuko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:40:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikizuko/pseuds/Ikizuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Death, Die and Mark had the adventure of their lifetimes in Europe. Five years later, Death needs her best friend when her boyfriend turns out to be married. Will their bond be able to make her find happiness again and will they survive life's trials together? MerMark friendship maybe pairing later. AUish.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Meredith Grey/Mark Sloan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was jet lagged and annoyed. He stood in the glaring Barcelona sun staring up at a hotel where he was meant to attend a conference and sighed with frustration. The only reason he was even here was to keep Derek company, but Derek had  stayed back in New York to meet Addies’s parents. He suddenly glanced across the pavement to a petite blonde girl in a yellow sundress holding a camera that looked larger than herself up to her eye. She seemed completely unaware of her surrounding and was about to walk right into the street, straight into the path of a speeding car. Mark raced to her side and pulled her back, ready to yell at her for her stupidity, but as he looked into her startled green eyes, all thought vanished. </p><p>“Thank you, I get kinda lost when I’m taking pictures” she murmured breathlessly. Mark began getting his thoughts in order as he looked at her bright shining face. “Don’t worry about it, I’m Mark” He said extending a hand a shooting her a grin. She forgoed the hand and gave him a peck on his lips and turned around to walk away. “Meredith” she called out laughing as she walked away.</p><p>OOO</p><p>Mark had never felt connected to anyone like he did that girl. Their brief encounter stayed on his mind for the next two days. He attended the conference, picked up a girl and kicked her out the next day, as was his usual routine, yet he couldn’t forget Meredith. As he sat at a random bar near his hotel nursing a glass of scotch on his last night in Spain, he heard a woman sit next to him and order a shot of tequila. He glanced up and stared into the brilliant eyes of Meredith, eyes he never thought he would see again. </p><p>Meredith broke the silence first “I remember you, you save me the other day! Mark right?”. I nodded and found myself lost in conversation with her. I felt like I’d waited all my life for her as we talked for hours, getting thoroughly drunk. It was no surprise as the night ended with us sharing my hotel room.</p><p>OOO</p><p>She woke up to bright sunlight streaming in through the window in an unfamiliar hotel room and glanced down at her naked body. Usually she would sneak out before her latest one night stand regained consciousness, but she felt drawn to this Mark she’d met twice already. Deciding to take a shower instead she emerged dressed in a shirt of his she found. </p><p>She saw him awake staring at her as she walked out the bathroom and felt a sudden connection to this man she’d known only hours. He made her feel safe and she went and lay next to him. They stayed there, in his bed for the entire day, just talking, getting to know each other like friends who had spent a lifetime waiting for each other. They parted that evening the closest confidantes.</p><p>OOO</p><p>Mark felt empty inside as he watched her walk out the door. His plane home forgotten, he felt like he needed Meredith to stay. Their meeting had been short, sweet and random yet left him yearning more. He finally got up and got dressed and headed down to the lobby, trying to figure out if he could book another flight home. Suddenly his phone rang and his heart skipped a beat at the voice on the other end, it was Meredith. </p><p>It seemed the connection between them was irrefutable, and she gave him an invitation he couldn’t refuse. She told him to stay and follow her around Europe and he did just that.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark met Sadie not long after is first meeting with Meredith, or Death as she preferred. They were quick to accept him into their group and they had loads of fun together. He didn’t take long to decide to join them on their trip across Europe. He left Derek a cryptic message not to expect him back soon and took a leave of absence from work to join the two college graduates in sleeping their way across Europe.</p><p>Mark and Death became inseparable. They were best friends and jokingly referred to each other as soulmates. They never realised how literally true it was. All three of them spent three months half drunk, getting into trouble all over the continent. They had inappropriate one night stands and escapades with local police. Death never slept with Mark again but they were closer than ever.</p><p>They were all a little twisted and a little broken, but they all had the time of their lives. Die cut her trip short but Death and Mark continued without her. They shared their own twisted histories with each other and revered their deeper secrets. When they parted three months later, the vowed to stay in touch forever. Death decided to go to Med School at Dartmouth and Mark returned back to New York.</p><p>OOO</p><p>Derek and Addison had known Mark for a long time, and when he returned from his three month disappearance, they knew he was not the same. All he told them was he had found his soulmate in Death, and had left a piece of his heart with her. They never got him to reveal more about her because Death was solely Mark’s and she was the one thing he couldn’t share.</p><p>Death went to Dartmouth against mother’s insistence she was not cut out to be a doctor. She didn’t need her mother’s approval any more, she had Mark’s and his confidence in her was all that mattered. She met him every holiday and he drove up to her when she found out her mother’s diagnosis. He never left her and she never left him.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time Skip: 5 years</p><p>“Shepherd?”<br/>“And you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband”</p><p>Husband. She’d said husband. Meredith didn’t know what to do or say. She was the dirty mistress, the slutty whore who’d slept with someone’s husband. She walked out the hospital in a daze and into Joe’s. She told her friends, watched as Joe collapsed, and faced him down in the parking lot, all without comprehending what was happening. She got in her car and called Mark, he would know what to do.</p><p>“Death!” He greeted in a cheerful voice which seemed so absurd in the light of recent events. “So did you finally suck it up and tell McDreamy how you feel?” </p><p>Mark had been proud of Death, who had decided to open up her heart to another person. He’d had a front row seat to her string of one night stands and was happy that she found someone, even if it was her boss.</p><p>“Mark” she said and her voice sounded broken, lost and he knew something was wrong. “He’s m-married, and now I’m a dirty mistress.” Mark’s heart broke for Death. She was perfect, she wasn’t a dirty mistress and whoever this McDreamy was, had hurt her. He was angry at him and he couldn’t bear to see his Death hurt.</p><p>“Death, it’s not your fault. That McDreamy was a jackass who set you up to be hurt. I’m coming to Seattle right now.” Meredith tried feebly to protest, but he shut her down.</p><p>“There’s nothing left for me here in New York anyways, I lost my best friends and I’ll be damned if I let you be hurt alone. Text me your address I’m taking the first flight out.” Meredith new all about Mark’s affair and heartbreak and she didn’t want to protest, seeing as she missed Mark and needed his support.</p><p>OOO</p><p>Izzie was awoken early the next morning by insistent knocking at the front door. She’d stayed up late with Mer watching her drink herself to sleep, trying to comfort her as she dealt with the revelation McAss was married.</p><p>“I’m coming keep your pants on.” she yelled as she thundered down the stairs. She looked out the door to see a tall man built like a model and stopped short. She opened the door and said “Can I help you?”</p><p>He brushed past her, not responding as he ran up the stairs shouting for “Death!”</p><p>Izzie was very confused and followed him up the stairs as George emerged from his room, woken up by the shouts. The man entered Meredith’s room and grabbed her in her arms as she was getting out of bed groggily. </p><p>Izzie and George stared at the man who had burst into their house and now had his arms wrapped tightly around Meredith’s small frame. They seemed to be lost, mumbling “I missed yous” to each other.</p><p>“Hi, who’s this?” asked George warily.</p><p>Meredith’s face broke into the widest smile they had seen yet and she seemed to turn into a different person as she answered them. “This, is Mark” she said, pointing towards the man who still had an arm around her shoulder, holding her close. “Hi, you must be Izzie and George” he said, flashing them a smile.</p><p>“Wait wait wait this is Mark? The mysterious best friend Mark?” asked Izzie in disbelief. <br/>“We prefer soulmate but sure, best friend works too” He said giving Mer a kiss on top of her head. </p><p>OOO</p><p>Meredith had had a miserable night. She had returned from the hospital and had gone to bed with a bottle of tequila. Izzie and George had sat with her and bitched about him but had left her to go to bed. She had passed out so drunk that she forgot about even Mark’s imminent arrival.</p><p>She had been woken up by a familiar voice screaming “Death” in the morning and had found herself face to face with Mark. He was here! Mark was really here! She had jumped into his arms and for the first time in a long time felt completely safe. Markie was here now and everything would be better. For a moment being a dirty mistress and hospital gossip didn’t matter.<br/>After introducing Mark to her roommates, she had nursed a hangover until Izzie made her breakfast. Izzie and George had been very curious about Mark and had asked him questions all morning and Mark had answered amiably, but she knew he was watching and waiting for her to talk. As they headed out the door, he had pulled her aside into a rental car and had told her he’d drive her to work separately. Izzie and George just shrugged and headed out.</p><p>The two of them sat in the car and Mark began “I missed you so much Death.” She looked up at him and smiled “I missed you too Markie. I know you want to talk about it, but right now i just want to go to work and do surgery and forget it ever happened.”<br/>“Ok fine but I’m coming with you today, I want to see the place you work anyways and this way I can run interference if you need me to. I am kind of a big deal you know.” He said smirking at her during the last part. She punched his shoulder playfully and laughed. “Fine, as long as you don’t get me in any trouble.” They spent the rest of the ride to the hospital talking and catching up and feeling whole once more.</p><p>OOO</p><p>Mark walked into the unfamiliar hospital with his hand in Death’s. Seattle Grace wasn’t all that different from other hospitals he’d worked at before and an idea that had occurred to him the night before was seeming more and more probable. His practice in New York meant nothing to him and since Addison had left him and none of the Shepherds weren’t speaking to him, a fresh start near Death looked more and more appealing. He would inquire and see if he could get a job in SGH or at least in town so that he could live near her. He was so lost in thought he never noticed the stares he was receiving and the gossip beginning to circulate.</p><p>OOO</p><p>“Ok am I dreaming or did Mer just walk in with freaking Adonis on her arm? Isn’t she still into the married McAss?” said Cristina as she watched Meredith enter the hospital.<br/>“That’s the mysterious Mark.” Said Izzie as she changed into her scrubs.<br/>“Wait, that’s Mark? Damn, how does she get these guys. Doesn’t he live out of state how’s he here?”<br/>“He showed up this morning. I think Meredith called her about the entire McAss incident and he flew to Seattle for her.” George answered.<br/>“Dude! That’s Mark Sloan, he’s like the go to plastics guy on the east coast. I have got to talk to him.” Alex butted in.<br/>“Mer!” said Cristina as she entered the locker room “How are you? Is that really the Mark?”<br/>“Yup” said Meredith, and before she could say more, Bailey walked in, effectively shutting them up.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Death was pissed when she walked out the locker room, I could tell just by looking at her. She came towards me and said “Apparently I’ve been requested. McDreamy’s wife wants me and will probably kill me by the end of the day.” <br/>“That’s unfair, can she even do that?” I said as I joined her as we walked towards the nurse’s station for the chart.<br/>“Apparently she can. I’ve got to go, can't give her any more reason to hate me, meet me for lunch?” She said as we reached our destination.<br/>“Of course.” I said giving her a kiss on the side of her head. <br/>Before I could walk away, however, I felt a stinging blow to the side of my face and I found myself on the ground. <br/>“What the hell?” I said as I looked up and I felt my face drain of blood “Derek.”</p><p>OOO</p><p>“What is wrong with you?” I said as I helped Mark back up to his feet.<br/>“That is Mark” was Derek’s response.<br/>“Yes I know he’s Mark why the hell did you just punch him?” I was growing increasingly confused. How did Derek know Mark and what had he done to him?<br/>“Oh my god” I heard behind me as Derek’s wife walked into the scene.</p><p>OOO</p><p>“What the hell was that about?” I asked Mark as I took him to an exam room to clean his face.<br/>“You know my best friend whose wife I slept with? Well that was him.” <br/>“You slept with Derek’s wife? Oh my god.”<br/>“Derek? Wait a minute he’s McDreamy isn’t he? Oh my God.” He said looking at my expression.<br/>I cleaned his wound and was about to begin stitching him up when he interrupted “What do you think you’re doing?”<br/>“You’re a surgeon, you know you need stitches.”<br/>“Well I’m not going to let an intern sew up my face, even if it is you, Death.”<br/>“Fine. Do it yourself. Here.” I said laughing. Mark was vain as a peacock.<br/>George suddenly walked in the room and we turned to look at him.<br/>“The Chief wanted you two to go to his room, um, after an x-ray. Apparently he doesn’t trust Burke with this”<br/>“Okay George. Thanks.” I said and he turned around and walked out of the room.<br/>“That dude definitely has it bad for you.” I turned around to watch Mark laugh out. “We should just go you know nothing is broken.”<br/>“I am so not looking forward to this. You were supposed to help me make sense of the mess that is my life, not make it more complicated.”<br/>“You know you love me”<br/>“I do. Ugh.”</p><p>OOO</p><p>“My head of neurosurgery, punching out people on my surgical floor! Put the damn ice on your hand and tell me what the hell happened.” Richard screamed at Derek in his hospital room. Addison sat back awkwardly and Derek glowered at everyone. </p><p>Right at that moment, Meredith walked in with Mark and the tension in the room grew. Derek saw the protective hand Mark had placed on Meredith’s shoulder and gave a harsh sort of laugh. “I see you don’t just settle for taking my girl once.” Meredith shot him a vehement glare, Mark’s face turned to stone and Addison seemed to sink further into her chair.</p><p>“Now someone better explain what is going on between all of you.” Richard broke the silence. Derek glared at Addison and she began explaining.<br/>“He and Derek used to work together back in New York. And they... we... we were all close friends. Until Derek found us in bed together.” Said Addison awkwardly “I’m not sure what he’s doing here or how he knows her.” She finished.<br/>Richard glanced at Derek and then at Mark and nodded, stopping himself from saying anything. Derek sent a pleading look to Meredith, to justify his being married, but it was ruined by the glare he was sending Mark’s hand which still rested on her shoulder.</p><p>“Yes, Mark, what exactly are you doing here?” Derek spat out.<br/>“I came here to support Death, here, because apparently her jackass of her boyfriend never told her he was married and she found out by his wife showing up.” Mark’s temper was rising now, too “Not that I owe you an explanation as I’m not an employee here and since it was me who got punched.” He said as he walked out the door, Meredith not far behind him.</p><p>“...Did he just say Death? Meredith is his Death?”</p>
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